Recording Venue:JAOO 2008Guest(s): Jim des RivieresHost(s): Markus This episode is a discussion with Jim Des Rivieres about APIs: How to design good APIs, the role of the documentation/specification in APIs, API evolution and other relevant topics.

This speaker was wonderful but the interviewer constantly interrupting with “yep”, “right”, “mhmm” got so annoying I almost had to quit listening. Your job is to ask questions and then shut up and let the man talk, not constantly drip guttural affirmation into the recording.

It is annoying when the interviewer make it so loud, and especially when he tries to “fill in” words. Please please Mr Interviewer… stop it and let them speak properly. We know that you know your stuff, but we don’t want to listen to you we want to listen to the person you are interviewing. Thank you for a good job on the questions and follow-up questions, but between those, please let the interviewed person speak.

To get a real conversation going, you need to provide feedback to the person you talk to. I know I overdo this sometimes, but just sitting there and let people speak for 10 minutes as an answer to a question will not result in a lively conversation.

I understand that you’d prefer that approach. I don’t!

I do agree that sometimes I interrupt/speak/agree too much and I will try to reduce it. But in the end that’s the way I do it. Sorry.